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The Bloody Handed Sons
For so long as there have been wars, there have been warriors snatched up on the field of battle by the Gentry. Far from home, often dying on the field of battle, they are gathered up. Their Keepers sweep down from the heavens or bubble up from the depths below, and grab their unwilling recruit off to whatever fate awaits them in Arcadia. Every war has such 'casualties', and no one can rightly say how many of those dead-eyed soldiers who return from the battle are literally not the same men as those that left. The sons of Boston have experienced this, first in the World Wars then again in Korea and Vietnam. Even the Persian Gulf War had its soldiers, volunteers though they might have been, and sure enough some of those were taken and manged to claw their way through the Thorns back home. Since 1946, the Bloody-Handed Sons have been waiting for them. Most every veteran taken into Faerie from the field of battle and returned to Boston spends a year or three with the Motley, and many decide to stay a bit longer - particularly those called to the Courts of Wrath or Fear. The Sons was envisioned as a mixture of the Veteran's Administration and the American Legion, providing everything from mutual support and a political advocacy within the Freehold.
The Bloody Handed Sons are, you see, much more than simply warriors. They turn their hands to the defense of Boston along with their friends in the Ironhanded, for sure, but they have wider ambitions than simply fending off the Gentry and striking back at their Keepers. The Sons play on Freehold politics with an able and deft hand, often times with an eye toward issues that reflect their Autumn or Summer leanings, but just as often simply paying attention to the petty squabbles and trying to remain on top. Most of the motley lives fairly comfortably in the nicer parts of Fenway, Back Bay, and South End, with well-constructed homes in very nice neighborhoods. They attain respected positions in the community, tell young boys old war stories, and often form a bit of an Old Boys network amongst themselves -- providing advice, jobs and patronage to younger Changelings. This isn't to suggest that, when the shit hits the fan, the motley is at all shy in getting their hands a little more bloody and pulling their weight. From the oldest veterans of WWII to the young buck taken in Kuwait, the Sons are quite fit and keep their fighting skills in top-notch form. When there's a need to, they gladly take to the field of battle, and show the Gentry all they've learned since their escape. Yet when the battle is over, and the fighting is done for now, they focus on other matters.
While the Sons don't maintain a shared hollow, or any communal assets for that matter, to be accepted into the group is to earn your way into an association that looks after its own. The Sons have contacts all over the city, people who will vouch for them without question, and every possible advantage their fellows can give them. Even the youngest member of the motley is find is well on the road to being a big shot in the city, and the older members are veritable names in the community even if they're not that well known.
Members of the Motley
- James Byron (Beast, Hunterheart - Autumn Court) might no longer be the 'leader' of the motley that he founded in 1946, with many of the original Changelings he brought together having long since passed on, but that hardly makes him out of the loop. The King of Autumn commands an inescapable respect from those closest to him, and more than a few members of the motley view Cayce as "acting manager" working in James' interests. Most of James' efforts are devoted toward the matters of Court, or Freehold, with the Byron family holdings keeping him in good stead and allowing him to live comfortably without a lot of effort.
- Tony Aces (Elemental, Airtouched - Spring Court) is the last of the "old guard" aside from Byron, an old fighter pilot whose P-51 went down somewhere over France. He and Byron meet once a week at their old watering hole, sharing stories of the buildup to D-Day and all the English women they 'entertained', as well as their glory days in the Freehold back in the 50s before everything got so bloody complicated. Now a days Tony spends most of his time pampering his wife's grandchildren, building little model airplanes, and annoying his stepson by constantly checking up on the status of the import/export business that he started up all those years ago.
- Mitchel Barnaby (Beast, Broadback - Autumn Court) is regarded by many in the Freehold as something of an ass, but that doesn't stop them coming to see him when they need his expertise or hope to benefit from his influence. A member of the Corps of Engineers in Korea, Mitchel Barnaby 'inherited' a nigh-perfect life due to his fetch serving out the war and returning home a hero to start up an Engineering firm. While a messy divorce between Mitchel and his fetches wife ate some of his holdings, Mitchel does quite well, and is one of the Freeholds foremost experts on matters related to construction and architecture.
- Cayce (Ogre, Gristlegrinder - Summer Court) will generally tell tales about the Jungles of Vietnam until the sky turns black, but of his Durance? Nothing. Whateever he faced, he's done quite well back in the real world. The construction firm that Cayce started up with the help of Mitchel Barnaby is one of the largest and most respected in New England, and these days Cayce mostly lets others oversee the day to day work to focus himself on Motley and Court. Viewing himself as a General, maneuvering those under him for strategic advantage, Cayce tries to operate one or two steps removed and always has a plan.
- Blackeyeblue (Ogre, Waterdweller - Summer Court), as a member of the Navy prior to his abduction, has a friendly rivalry with the Grunts that make up most of the rest of the motley and in particular with Cayce with whom he escaped Arcadia side-by-side. Other than a decent investment portfolio, a sailboat, and a nice home overlooking the Charles River, the Ogre formerly known as Augustus Branch has little in the way of assets, having spent more attention on Court and Freehold than climbing the social ladder. In particular, Augustus has served as Knight-Errant on several occasions and tends to fight over the position with Nocturne every year.
- Richard Quinn (Fairest, Draconic - Autumn Court) vanished into the underbrush one bright summer morning in 1967, and was never heard from again. Declared MIA and Presumed Dead, Richard Quinn took his abduction by the Fae (and apparent lack of a Fetch) as an excellent opportunity to clear old debts and escape old enemies. A creation from whole cloth, Richard has gained more than a bit of a reputation among the Freehold as an excellent forger, and made most of his money (now invested in stock in various corporations) from pledges with the various Courts to help provide New Identities to various recently abducted Changelings. Richard mostly provides his services "on the cheap" these days, at least as far as fake certificates and documentation is concerned.
- Faceless Adam (Darkling, Mirrorskin - Autumn Court) is one of the most controversial members of the Motley, having been a member of the CIA who was overseeing the use of hired mercenaries to assist the Contras in Nicaragua. Adam admits that's not his name, and has never shared all the details about his alleged activities in the 80s, but as far as anyone can prove he was kidnapped by the Gentry on foreign soil during the exercise of a state somewhat akin to war. More importantly, in the eyes of most of the motley, he seemed to have a solid head on his shoulder and would make a good member of the Motley. Adam spends most of his time laying low and doing odd jobs for the Autumn Court, collecting favors and generally on the lookout for his old bosses.
- Abdul Malik (Elemental, Sandharrowed - Summer Court) was born Brandon Lliary, part of a poor family in Mattapan, but calls himself by the name he was given by his Keeper. It means "Servant of the Master", and as long as Malik goes by that name, he'll never forget what its like to hate someone totally and completely. The youngest of the Sons, Brandon has just recently moved into his Condo in a fairly ritzy part of Fenway, having just finished acquiring his Masters Degree in Psychology a year ago and spending most of his time doing marketing work at Genzyme (a biotech corporation in Cambridge). When not working, Malik spends his time at the Summer Court's gun club or practicing his swordplay, eager to lose himself to the cut and flow of combat.
The Honored Dead
- Some guy from WWI
- Another guy from WWII
- Yet another guy from WWII
- Probably someone from Vietnam
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